Archive for the ‘Company’ Category
Hourly Billing & The Treadmill
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012I’ve been running a lot more lately, not because I like it, but because I need to. I do some of my best thinking while I’m running and today I realized that hourly billing and the treadmill have a lot in common
The goal today was to run for 30 minutes. I don’t like to run for time, I prefer to run for distance. When you run for time, there is no incentive to go faster or at a higher incline. The goal is simply to run for 30 minutes. Now “running” for 30 minutes at a 4 mph pace is very different than running at a 7 mph pace. But if the goal is to just last 30 minutes, there is no incentive to go faster because it’s going to take 30 minutes regardless of how fast you are going.
I like to run for distance because it pushes me to get done sooner. You can run 3 miles in 30 minutes or you can take an hour to do it. I’d rather get it done and over with. I’d rather do it well than drag my heels all day about it.
Hourly billing is just like this. Some folks take an hour to do what another can do in 10 minutes. Should the person who can do it in 10 minutes be paid less than the person that takes an hour? Absolutely not. That’s why VALUE billing (or project billing) is far superior to hourly in most cases. While the amount of time something takes can sometimes indicate the value, that’s not always true. The experience and expertise of one person can allow the project to be completed in far less time which is actually of MORE VALUE than taking longer to do it.
If you’ve never run, you can’t just jump on the treadmill and run 3 miles at a 7mph pace though, it takes time and experience. The more you run, the better you get at it and the faster you can knock down the miles. This goes for all kinds of work too, the more experienced someone is and the more time they have invested in a skill, the better they are at it. As a result, they can often complete a task much more quickly than someone who is newer.
Value billing is more specific, you get X for Y, there is no guessing involved. Same thing goes for the treadmill, if someone says they’re going to run for an hour, that doesn’t mean much unless you know how fast they can run.
Now I know that value billing or project billing doesn’t always work. If the scope of the project is very loosely defined or it’s a long list of maintenance type updates, hourly billing may be the only way to manage it, but for most things, we prefer value billing because we’d rather get it done and get off the treadmill.
2012, here we come!
Saturday, December 31st, 2011Wow, what an awesome year. 2011 has been marked the twelfth straight year of growth for Design Extensions. We’ve been blessed to grow our staff and work with many great clients around the country.
We’ve had the pleasure of launching OVER 100 websites this year and working with countless other projects from logos to brochures to banners and more.
When we started, we just did basic websites. Our range of services is much larger now, from graphic design to websites and online marketing. This year, we’re going to be improving our online marketing services and offering some comprehensive plans that are not only affordable, but trackable and effective. We want to help our clients take their businesses to the next level and believe we have the tolls to make that happen.
There is lots of turmoil in the world right now… Politically, socially, religiously jobs, etc. There’s a lot of crazy stuff going on, but we still believe in what made this country great. Individual exceptionalism, team work, community, faith, and family. We believe that 2012 will be the year of startups, where people decide to step out and make something happen.
We are ready to help be the partner others need to grow and expand online and off.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to our clients, partners, friends, and families who have made our continued success possible. We couldn’t do it without you and wish you all the happiest of new years.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
We are not the best. (Did I really just admit that?)
Tuesday, December 27th, 2011It seems like these days everyone is claiming to be the best at something. You hear it every day, best wireless network, the best hamburger, the best whatever.
I’m going to say something you won’t hear from many business owners, I don’t believe we’re the best at what we do. WHAT?! Who says that? I do.
Let’s be real though, there are better web designers than us, there are better graphic designers than us, there are better marketers than us. We live in a time with a lot of ridiculous talent in our industry. Don’t get me wrong, I care about quality design, clean code, and all the latest industry standards, but we don’t always deliver perfection on every project, there is always something that could be done better. That’s called reality. The truth is that there is almost always someone better at you or your business at what you do — and that’s OK!
But here’s something else, I don’t believe you have to be the best to be the best choice. Like many things, I believe it’s about balance. We provide a high level of experience (we’ve been doing websites since the internet started), we have a large portfolio (from plumbers to plastic surgeons), and we care about people (our clients, our staff, our families, and others) — those things matter.
We’re not the best and I’m ok admitting it. What matters to me is that we are able to provide what our customers need at a price that provides a high level of value for the services provided.
My advice? Stop trying to be or pretending to be the best. It’s ok to not be the best. Be what you need to be, what your clients need you to be, and not what meets someone else’s arbitrary standards.
We’re not the best, but for our clients and many others, we were the best choice for them. I’m thankful for that.
Skitch: Free & Awesome Screen Capture and Notation
Wednesday, August 31st, 2011
If you are a Mac (or Android) user looking for a great way to take screenshots and mark up notes, comics, or sketches on those screenshots or images, look no further than Skitch. It’s a FREE tool that we use everyday and love.
They were recently acquired by the also very popular EverNote app. It will be interesting to see what kind of integration happens with these two products in the coming months.
You can check it out at http://skitch.com/ You can thank us later (or in the comments).
Brand Identity
Monday, August 15th, 2011Brand identity should not be rocket science. You want your customer to recognize “you” as quickly as they would recognize Coca Cola, Apple, or any other successfully branded product. This is true whether you are selling a product, service, or a combination of the two. If your logo, or tag line is too complicated to understand at a glance, then it is too complicated. Colors, shapes, and fonts are an important part of many successfully brand logos.
In the design world many fads come and go, but brands that have staying power rely on something more important. They stay relevant. What is popular today, may be old news tomorrow and so while some elements of popular design are great to include is small doses, the best brands stay true to the businesses’ core values, customer base, and roots. Design Extensions will use your feedback and our experience to craft a website as well as logos, business cards, and other print collateral as needed to convey the image you want for your business.
Many businesses fail to realize their potential, simply by not maintaining uniform branding across all sectors of their business. Design Extensions can help, from business cards, letter head and other print collateral, to websites and online advertisements that keep your business’ image consistent. One of the benefits of utilizing all of the features Design Extensions has to offer is that our design team is all in house, and all files/logos/and content is accessible for use across all platforms to reach new customers. For the few aspects of your business that we may not have an in house solution for, (clothing, and novelties) we can recommend a service provider, and will be happy to design, or provide design elements to them.
Blog, Blog, Blog, Blog Blog…
Friday, July 29th, 2011We are bad bloggers. We preach from the rooftops that blogging is important, updating your website with new and fresh content is important, and yet we fail to do so ourselves.
We are like the barber that never gets a haircut.
Why don’t we blog more often? For the same reason most people don’t… we are just too busy with actually running a business and serving our clients.
What most people fail to realize (and we fail to lead by example) is that blogging can be a great way to drive in new business! It can build an audience of people who are interested about a topic and drive search engine optimization results to your site.
You can easily get started with your own blog (for free) by using something like wordpress.com or blogspot.com.
The better solution, however, is to integrate a blog directly into your website. You can call it news, information section, or something else if you prefer not to use the blog term for some reason.
An integrated blog (like what you are reading now) fits right in with a website, keeps your brand consistent, and helps with your search engine optimization.
There are not a ton of business’ here in St. Augustine or Jacksonville currently blogging, but it’s a growing trend.
We are going to try and do a better job of leading by example and will let you know what the results are.
Stay tuned here for more news, ideas, and tips. If you have questions, or would like to see info on a specific topic, leave us a comment below!
Your Website: The Friendly Receptionist
Thursday, July 28th, 2011As the first point of contact for your customers, your business’ website should be like a friendly receptionist. Potential clients and customers visiting your site; see your site, as indicative of the type, quality, and style of work you do. Presenting a sloppy unfriendly website, with poorly thought out navigation, and missing or confusing information, is like having a receptionist that client’s are afraid to approach, and who wouldn’t know the answer anyway. You wouldn’t hire an employee like that so stop letting your website turn customers away from your business instead of inviting them in.
Knowledge
The Friendly Receptionist would not be very good at her job if all she did was act super friendly, but not actually know anything. Similarly the best designed website is no good if the information isn’t easily accessible, concise, and above all pertinent. Many businesses, new to the internet, tend to want to include every tiny detail of their business online so as to reach every possible customer. It’s great if your Salon sells hair products, but if 90% of your business is made through selling hair cuts, then the information for your hair products does not need to be as featured as the information about hair cuts. A better approach is to think like a customer and assume your website is your Friendly Receptionist. What information should she have readily available?
Warmth
We all have experience with the other type of receptionist as well. The one who knows everything about everything, but is so cold, and unfriendly that you really try not to bother her and find out what you need on your own. That’s how some websites are. The information they have is great unfortunately it is just too “ugly” to access. The wonderful information that you need is hidden in such a cold unfriendly way, that you’d almost rather just find it elsewhere. This problem is just as serious as the lack of information on an otherwise “friendly” site. How can she help anyone if they don’t want to spend anytime with her, or are afraid to approach her?
You Care
The best websites have the information you need, in a “wrapper” that is friendly and easy to use. Why are these two things so important? It tells your customer’s, that you care about them. We want to feel like the people and businesses we interact with care about us and our satisfaction. We want those businesses to make us feel like they are working with us towards a common goal. Design Extensions is here to make sure that you feel cared about, by making sure that we adhere to the principles of the Friendly Receptionist when designing, and building your website. Simple, beautiful websites, with easy to navigate menus, easy to access information, presented in a friendly inviting way will keep clients coming back, and recommending you to their friends.
5 Things You Want to Know About Your Web Designer… Before They Touch a Single Pixel
Tuesday, December 7th, 2010If you feel like it’s getting harder and harder to find the right team to design, or redesign, your company’s website, I can empathize. In the eleven years I’ve been in this business, the number of firms offering web design and online marketing has exploded. The increasing number of options – not to mention specialties, fee ranges, and levels of quality – has made it hard for companies to find the right fit.
You can still find the right designer, though, if you know where to look, and what to look for. Here are five things you definitely want to know about any web design team before you hire them:
- 1. How past clients feel about their work. It’s one thing to look through a designer’s portfolio, but if you really want to get the story, you have to make a few phone calls. Talk to former clients and see what their impressions of the work, and the design process, were like. Whether you get good feedback or bad, these are things you want to know before you sign on the dotted line.
- 2. If they will still be able to help you tomorrow. Your site might be basic right now, but there’s no guarantee it will stay that way. In fact, if your launch is a success, it’s probably not going to be long before your company needs help with online videos, secure site areas, databases, content management systems, and search engine optimization to name a few – services that smaller or newer firms might not be able to offer.
- 3. Whether they have a bottom line vision. This is more important than most business owners realize. These days, when you hire a designer, you shouldn’t just be getting a layout and some HTML code – what you need is the first step towards a comprehensive online marketing plan. Be sure that any designer you work with can help you integrate your new website to search engines, social media, and more. You’ll need that exposure to gain new customers over the Internet.
- 4. What their fees are… Obviously, the numbers are going to be an important part of the discussion. Be aware, however, that quality always costs more, and that more than one web design client has been burnt by falling for bid that was “too good to be true.”
- 5. … and what those fees include. Web hosting, updates, content, and add-on features are just a few of the things you might want for your web design team, but might not be included in their rock-bottom bid. Find out exactly what you are paying for before you agree to any work. Or better yet, choose a vendor with a long reputation of quality work, no one that’s going to nickel and dime you at every step of the process.
There might be more web design companies to choose from than there were in the past, but that doesn’t mean that the right decision has to be any less clear. Take the time to do a little bit of research and get the answers to these five crucial questions – it’s not as easy as choosing the lowest bid, but it’s going to leave you a lot happier, and more profitable, in the long run.
(Republished from our recent article in Valacious Magazine in St. Augustine, Florida)
Why a Website Might be Your Best Investment Right Now
Tuesday, November 30th, 2010While no one is rushing out into the streets to declare the economy “fixed” just yet, there are some early signs that the worst is over. And with that realization, a lot of business owners are looking to make some of the investments they’ve been putting off until better days – hiring new employees, expanding to new locations, taking on new products, and so on.
But before you run out and jump at all the new opportunities that are coming your company’s way, don’t forget to take care of one of the most critical parts of your business… one that brings in new revenue, handles customer service problems, lets you market to the globe, and try out new products all at once, 24 hours a day.
I’m talking about your website.
A lot of owners, facing a tough business environment over the past couple of years, have elected to hold off on a new design or any major upgrades. That’s understandable. But now, with customers coming in through the front doors once again, many are concentrating on offline promotions and improvements. After all, if the site is doing a pretty decent job right now, why mess with it?
That’s a dangerous line of thinking. Because, if recent history is any guide, the buyers aren’t just coming back the way they were before; the American economy is evolving into something more competitive – and a lot more digital – than it ever was before. Your website is the one piece of your marketing mix that can keep you in the game.
Here are four reasons improving your website might be your best investment right now:
It sells. The bottom line is that websites are good for the bottom line. They help you reach more buyers, and sell more products or services, than any other marketing medium can.
It has a farther reach than your advertising pieces or sales staff… and at a fraction of the cost. Whether you want customers from out of state or overseas, a website is your best choice to find them.
New forms of online marketing are taking hold. Until recently, social media has just been a cool buzzword to throw around; now it might be a way to find new business. Making sure your site is equipped for social media marketing is a good first step.
It reduces costs. If your customers can look up and change their account information, order history, and shipping details, online, they don’t have to call you or your employees on the phone for routine tasks.
As the owner of a web design and online marketing company, I will admit that I am biased towards websites as a business investment. But that’s only because I have seen what they can do for a company’s growth. The online component of business success isn’t going away any time soon. If anything, it’s becoming more important as the economy recovers.
Keep that in mind, and keep up with your online marketing. It just might be the single smartest investment you can make right now.
(Republished from our article in the St. Augustine Women’s Journal)
Mobile Websites, Mobile Apps, and The Future
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010Design Extensions founder, Jay Owen, recently spoke at the NetWorth Technology Summit in Jacksonville, Florida. Check out a brief snippet video below. The full DVD of the event will be available at http://networthjax.com/
